An Afternoon at Claude Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France

An Afternoon at Claude Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France

Artist Claude Monet’s name is synonymous with his dreamlike paintings which were inspired by his graceful gardens in Giverny, France, where he lived for 43 years. In 1980, his home and garden were opened to the public allowing Monet’s canvases to come to life. Today, visitors to Giverny can see the hunter green Japanese-style footbridge that spans the property’s small pond, as well as clusters of water lilies wearing faint pink flowers, and pathways studded with clusters of vibrant blooms.

Earlier this summer, while traveling from Normandy’s D-Day commemorations to Paris, we set out to explore Giverny. Though Monet’s gardens had been relatively calm during my previous spring and summer visits, it was bustling this year, leading us to share the pretty pathways with hurried international visitors from around the world. We found it challenging trying to capture the irises, roses, daisies and peonies on film without inadvertently capturing someone with a poised iPhone or camera. As we strolled the crowded lanes, I imagined what Monet would think of all the attention being given to his once-serene garden.

Giverny, which is just over one hour’s drive from Paris, first caught Monet’s eye from a train window. It’s said that the Impressionist artist was so taken by the town that he vowed to one day live there. In 1883 he did, and seven years later, he’d scrounged together enough funds to purchase a home and a plot of land, on which he dreamed of creating a vibrant garden that could serve as an ever-changing subject for his paintings.

Though Claude Monet’s paintings are now appreciated worldwide – with some having fetched more than $85 million at auction – his work was not always so well-received. When Monet and his Impressionist contemporaries debuted their paintings in the 1870s, they were met with severe criticism from conventional French critics. Their dreamy landscapes and still life works contrasted sharply with the more somber historical and religious subjects and portraits that were highly respected at the time. Traditionalists were also shocked that the Impressionists sometimes completed their paintings outdoors, instead of inside studios.

In the late 1800s, Impressionist painters from the United States settled in Giverny, drawn by the village’s ambience, and the possibility to work closer to the Impressionist master. Monet remained in Giverny until his death in 1926. Today, his spirit lives on through his masterful paintings and musings, some of which are shared below.

“Color is my daylong obsession, joy, and torment.”
― Claude Monet

“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
― Claude Monet

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece”
― Claude Monet

“It’s on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly.”
― Claude Monet

“The more I live, the more I regret how little I know”

― Claude Monet

“I’m not performing miracles, I’m using up and wasting a lot of paint…”
― Claude Monet

Thank you for your comment, Cynthia. Monet’s artwork is well known, but his words less so. I hoped that by interspersing them with images of his garden that we could get a better feel for what inspired his brilliant work.

Laura, we’re actually back in Bavaria for a while. Are you still in the UK or enjoying the summer here? Oberammergau has had a few fun activities lately (the König-Ludwig-Feuer, and a traditional dance festival). Now, let’s keep our fingers crossed that the sunshine returns. :)

Lucky you to be Malta bound soon, although gloriously-sunny days like today make it a delight to be in Oberammergau and Bavaria. Do keep me posted when you get back from Malta, as it would be fun to meet up. :)

Interesting, Andrew – I didn’t know that Giverny was open to the public in the ’70s. We first went around 1993, and I sense that it’s become much more of a tourist hot spot since then. Still, it’s very much worth a visit. :)

That’s an interesting point. I have looked it up and it says that it opened to the public in 1980. I was on a town twinning exchange so perhaps it was open for private viewing and I am curious now.
The thing that I remember most were the climbing nasturtiums and the lily pond, I didn’t care too much for his collection of Chinese paintings and ceramics.

Excellent post. Your photos have captured that dreamy quality…and I like the musings you added. My favorite is “The more I live, the more I regret how little I know.” Thanks for sharing this lovely and peaceful place.

With either Tavira or France as your Silver Wedding anniversary destination, it sounds like you’re headed somewhere beautiful, Jo. Could you possibly combine a visit to Giverny with some time in Paris, Normandy, or the Loire Valley? (And those places are just the tip of the iceberg in France!)

It’s taken me a while to come back, Tricia. I bet you don’t even remember this comment. I didn’t! :)
We have 5 nights in Paris and will be going to Versailles (on Sunday, so that the fountains are working) and Giverny, by train.
Your photos are just as delicious as ever :)

Jo, it is easy for digital conversations to fall through the cracks, isn’t it? :)

I’m so happy to hear that your anniversary trip to Paris is materializing after all! Looking forward to reading about your Versailles and Giverny adventures. (We happened to arrive at Versailles on one of those days when the fountains were turned off. Nevertheless, we had a fabulous time strolling the gardens.)

Jo, we’re in Bulgaria for the foreseeable future, and enjoying watching life in this village and mingling with the friendly locals. Last night we saw cows being herded up the streets at sunset and farmers transporting hay in horse-drawn carts. The surrounding countryside and forests are also quite beautiful and we’re eager to explore them!

What a dream Tricia. How achingly beautiful. All that is wonderful about Giverny you have captured in breathtaking photographs. An afternoon in Giverny – possibly the most beautiful words in the English language.

Many thanks, Virginia. With your love of gardening, art, and all things French, did you visit Giverny when you went to Paris? It’s long been one of my mother’s favorite places. (Like you, she has a green thumb.)

My daughter and I planned a trip to Giverny. Unfortunately we never made it. My daughter was a Master Gardener and just two credits short of graduating from Guelph Agriculture College. She loved Giverny. Virginia

She didn’t design anything, but Roxanne gave very good advice. Don’t fight the rabbits in your flower garden – plant what they wont nibble away. It worked. I was no longer frustrated, and learned to love the little furry bundles… EXCEPT in the vegetable garden. Fenced that all around otherwise we would have had nothing. V.

Virginia, sounds as if you have many happy bunnies, as a result of Roxanne’s sage advice. It’s refreshing to hear of people finding natural remedies to gardening challenges. My parents are now trying to tame their new yard in Germany; at the moment, they’re battling stubborn weeds in between the patio cobblestones that surround the home. We’ve tested boiling water in spots, and have seen that some of the locals burn the weeds away with propane torches. Have you found any natural remedies for this?

A little salt and water sprinkled in the cobblestone cracks kills weeds permanently. We had the same problem here Tricia. Our veggie garden is 20 feet by 50 feet. The other day we took out the last of the bush beans. We planted every two weeks for about two months. Sad to see them go. We still have pole beans though. I The last couple of days the marine fog has been rolling in cross the fields. A sure sign of the end of summer. XX V.

Most beautiful post Tricia, love the quotes along with your beautiful images. I was in Giverny on my 18th birthday, hmm a while ago LOL, I remember it as the most beautiful garden…..! Sending you some sunshine if needed, over the ocean to lovely Bavaria, Servus!

Dad, remember we were actually here in the mid-90s (summertime) and also in March? As I look back, I think I most fondly remember the March visit since it was rather quiet then. I remember the tulips were at their peak. You’ll have to bring Mom back for a return visit soon!

I’m with you, Carol. I was once there in March, and it was delightful seeing the tulips and other spring flowers just emerging. It would be equally beautiful, I suspect, to see Monet’s gardens donning autumnal hues or dressed in snow. Was it extremely crowded during your visit earlier this summer? We visited in June.

Dorothy, I’m glad you were able to virtually travel to Giverny via the pictures. On rainy days like we’ve been having in Germany this past week, it sure is nice to escape to such beautiful gardens by revisiting these images. :) Wish you a splendid day, and here’s hoping you’ll make it to Giverny someday soon. Have you been to France?

Tricia, what a beautiful post. It is raining here as it has for days on end and this cheers me up. Monet was an artistic, creative, genius and your quotes support that. I have never been to France and that is high on my list as well as this beautiful garden. You captured the gardens well considering you encountered so many visitors that day.

Lynne, I composed the post on a gloomy day with similar weather to what you described, and seeing all the flowers had the same pleasant effect on me. Thanks for your kind words.

When I think of it, some of my favorite excursions in France have involved gardens. When you get to France, do consider spending a few days in the Loire Valley. We thought we were going to have ‘castle overload’ but visited just a handful of castles and chose a blend based upon their unique offerings (Leonardo da Vinci’s retirement home / castle where many of his inventions have been brought to life, Villandry with its incredible traditional gardens and herb garden, and Azay-le-Rideau and its quirky sound and light show).

On a side note, Shawn and I just saw an interesting BBC documentary on life in Cuba following some of its reforms. It made me think of you and Ron, since you’ve just visited there.

I’ll have to see if I can track down the documentary. Even traveling to Cuba doesn’t give one the complete picture. Thanks for the travel suggestions in France. I agree that fewer well selected choices is better than the hit and miss or seeing them all and not really enjoying it. Sounds like you and Shawn really do your homework.

My pleasure, Gerard. I suppose you could compare visiting the home of a person with a brilliant mind or talent to reading his/her autobiography. By going to Giverny, I loved imagining what inspired Monet. Perhaps you can visit the next time you’re in France? :)

Terri, I think it’s important to keep a must-see / must-learn list ever growing, so I’m glad this post contributed an addition to yours. :) You must be leaving for your trip soon? Which country will you visit first?

Greetings, Neely! Monet’s long been a favorite of mine as well, so it was delightful and insightful seeing the home and gardens that inspired him to create.

Speaking of creating, I’ve been drawing inspiration from your sophisticated site’s layout. (I recently changed themes to Widely, as I was looking for a design that is responsive for mobile users. There have been some kinks to overcome during the transition, but I’m pretty happy with the new theme.)

There, in the gardens, you recive the perfect inspiration to write too…
Congratulations for the photos! It was since a bit I didn’t take “a tour of friends’ blogs”
since Time is my worst antagonist, dear Tricia. See you soon, and I hope that you’ll want to read the Annwyn’s Secret in English (even if is far away to be a perfect tradution, you’ll get the sense of the whole story anyhow)….
:-Dclaudine

Claudine, I could certainly find inspiration in such a setting, Claudine, less all the other visitors in Monet’s now-hectic garden. :)

I agree that time has a way of just slipping away. At the moment we’re busy launching our communications business (which helps international businesses with their English content) but when that slows down I’d be happy to read your book.

Rachael, as such a talented photographer, you would probably be in heaven at Giverny. I can only imagine what delightful macro shots you would create there. I’m still hoping to make it there in all four seasons someday. So far, I’ve just experienced spring and summer.

Sartenada, glad you enjoyed the virtual stroll through Giverny. During what season were you there? For an unusual twist, I would like to see it in winter. I imagine that the Japanese Bridge would look very pretty dressed in snow.

Sylvia, happy to hear that you enjoyed this glimpse into Monet’s garden! Are you now in South Africa or Florida? Perhaps you can take a very large detour there the next time you’re moving between your two homes? :)

I had to beg to go to Giverney, but when the architect got there , he loved it too. The color, flowers, the casement windows. We also enjoyed that Monet decorated his house not with his own work but pieces from Japan!

The Japanese items did give Monet’s home a wonderfully-eclectic feel. I had to smile when you mentioned that your husband wasn’t enthusiastic to visit there initially. My husband was a bit skeptical too, but ended up enjoying the experience despite the massive crowds. :)

I agree that it makes a great excursion – especially if you can visit when it’s not teeming with other travelers! When were you at Normandy? We were most recently there for last year’s D-day anniversary. It was certainly a special time to be there:

Reblogged this on THE WRITE PLACE… and commented:
I can’t travel everywhere that I would like to, nor can I take you along on my travels. What I can do is share a bit of Tricia’s travels with you. This is an older post, but spring in western Washington seems like a perfect time to spend “An Afternoon At Claude Monet’s Garden…” with Tricia. Here is a Monet quote that I feel to my core,
“Every day I discover
more and more
beautiful things.
It’s enough to drive one mad.
I have such a desire
to do everything,
my head is bursting with it.”
― Claude Monet

We finally made it to Washington State for the first time two years ago, as part of a cross-continent road trip. We enjoyed Seattle – it had a bit of a European feel to it, and I’d love a bouquet of flowers from the fresh market today. Those were some of the most beautiful blooms I’ve seen. :)

Hi Jennifer, I’m glad you enjoyed this glimpse of Monet’s garden. Thank you! Are you Giverny-bound soon? It’s still one of my hopes to see the garden during all four seasons – I have autumn and winter to go. :)